Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine. Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine (New York, N.Y.)
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Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. Med. · Mar 1999
QT interval and QT dispersion before and after diet therapy in patients with simple obesity.
To evaluate whether a disordered QT interval and its dispersion in obese patients, if any, may be improved by therapeutic weight reduction, 36 obese patients admitted to our university hospital were examined over a 5-year period from April 1, 1992 to March 31, 1997. Participants included 18 males and 18 females whose mean age +/- SD was 28 +/- 9 and 33 +/- 14 years, respectively, and whose mean body mass index +/- SD was 35 +/- 5 and 38 +/- 6 kg/m2, respectively. Thirty-six control patients were matched in age and gender with the obese patients. ⋯ Both the maximum and minimum QTc intervals in the obese patients were shortened, respectively, to 434 +/- 28 msec and 377 +/- 29 msec (P < 0.05 for each) with no significant change in either QTc dispersion, QRS voltage, or QRS duration following weight reduction. The coefficient value from the linear regression line between QT interval and RR interval in the obese group was less than in the control group. Together, the results show that obesity per se causes both a prolongation of QTc interval and an increase in QTc dispersion, and that weight reduction improves the prolonged QTc interval observed in obese patients.
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Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. Med. · Feb 1998
Permanent lesions of stored platelets correlate to pH and cell count while reversible lesions do not.
The demand for stored platelet concentrates (PC) for therapeutic transfusions has been increasing for the past three decades. Loss of platelet functionality increases with the length of storage time due to a multitude of factors collectively referred to as a platelet storage lesion. As more of the causes of the storage lesion have been defined, storage conditions have improved along with the therapeutic value of the transfused platelet samples. ⋯ Results implied that pH caused a permanent storage lesion that could only be detected with washed platelets. A partially reversible lesion was superimposed on the pH lesion and was only detectable with PRP samples. Results indicate that continued attention must be paid to regulate the pH of stored PC even in the second generation plastic bags.
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Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. Med. · Jan 1997
Psychoactive cannabinoids increase mortality and alter acute phase cytokine responses in mice sublethally infected with Legionella pneumophila.
Marijuana contains both psychoactive and nonpsychoactive cannabinoids which have varying effects on the immune response system. Previous studies with delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the major psychoactive component of marijuana, showed that this substance augmented the susceptibility of mice to infection with the opportunistic pathogen Legionella pneumophila. The present study compared the enhancement of Legionella-induced mortality in mice due to two other major of marijuana components, cannabinol and cannabidiol, as well as the synthetic psychoactive cannabinoid CP 55,940. ⋯ However, the mRNA level for IL-6 was markedly increased following treatment of the infected animals with THC, suggesting the possible involvement of this pro-inflammatory cytokine in increased mortality. The mRNA level for TNF-alpha was generally low and not significantly altered in the drug treated animals. Mice given other cannabinoids, including cannabinol and cannabidiol, as well as the synthetic CP 55,940, showed no significant change in the level of mRNA for any of the cytokines tested.
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Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. Med. · Feb 1996
beta-Alanine protects against taurine and NaCl--induced hypernatremia in the rat.
Rats drinking a combination of taurine and hypertonic saline solution rapidly develop hypernatremia, but rats drinking either solution alone do not. The mechanism by which taurine disrupts the ability to deal with a salt load is not clear. Rats housed in metabolism cages were studied. ⋯ The addition of beta-alanine to the regimens of taurine + saline or saline alone produced ratios of cumulative sodium to cumulative water balance significantly lower than that of either regimen without beta-alanine. These findings suggest that taurine induces hypernatremia by interfering with normal homeostatic control mechanisms and that beta-alanine counteracts that action of taurine. The effect of beta-alanine in rats drinking saline alone is consistent with a role for endogenous taurine in normal electrolyte homeostasis.